Maternity of Our Lady
Bp. McGuire with Fr. Soliman
Two 1st Communicants – Manila
Bishop’s Note
Today is the feast of the Maternity of Our Lady. In the Philippines, this second Sunday of October is also the feast of Nuestra Señora de La Naval. I think of it as the Philippines’ own Battle of Lepanto, although it’s not nearly as important as the true Battle of Lepanto. You can read about it in today’s bulletin. I think you will find this bit of Catholic history very edifying. The Rosary has been the source of so many miracles, not only in battle, but in the lives of so many Catholics. One can never say it enough: Clutch to your beads; pray them daily. Our Lady will never abandon you.
Speaking of praying the Rosary, the last and most beautiful of this year’s Fatima processions is this Tuesday evening. The candlelight procession usually draws a greater attendance; I hope that is the case this year. Try to drum up as much enthusiasm as you can among fellow parishioners and family members. Come to Mass beforehand and make an evening of it.
Fr. Lehtoranta and Fr. Brueggemann are holding down the fort today, and I am thankful for that. Please say a prayer that the we are able to speed up the process for Fr. Lehtoranta’s citizenship. He had the brilliant idea to write to our congressman just before election time. Hopefully, the thought of being re-elected to that office will motivate him to do a kind deed for Father.
Today is the third anniversary of Fred Wood’s death. We had his funeral here, but he was buried at Fort Sam Houston Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas, so we have not been able to bless his grave until now. Just this weekend, I flew into San Antonio so that I could bless his grave before meeting up with Fr. Simpson for Confirmations in Dallas and Austin.
Fr. McKenna officially departed on Fri-day. As mentioned last week, he will be in Milwaukee for the weekend and then go to missions in Wisconsin and North Dakota. Then he will begin his long trek to Seattle about mid-week, and should arrive at the seminary sometime next week. May St. Christopher protect him on his journey. We will miss him. Pope Leo XIII said: “The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life. It is the remedy for all our evils, the root of all our blessings. There is no more excellent way of praying.” Enough said.
– Bishop McGuire
Confirmands in Manila
Confirmands & Sponsors in Davao City Mission